Schlotterbeck’s future at Dortmund: Kovac offers insights | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund heads into two crucial matches – and the future of Nico Schlotterbeck comes into focus. Coach Niko Kovac remains optimistic, but warns against hasty expectations.

Ahead of the two upcoming top matches against Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund’s coach Niko Kovac has commented on the future of defensive leader Nico Schlotterbeck – expressing cautious optimism. The central defender is under contract until 2027, yet there has been speculation for weeks about his long-term prospects at BVB.

Kovac explicitly praised his key player and hinted that the upcoming games could also influence Schlotterbeck’s decision-making process. “He’s doing really well. He knows what we have in him, but he also knows what he has in the club. I’m optimistic,” the BVB coach explained ahead of the Bundesliga clash on Saturday evening (6:30 pm). According to media reports, Schlotterbeck himself wants to wait and see how the team develops before deciding on an extension.

However, Kovac emphasized that his influence on the contract situation is limited: “I don’t know to what extent I can have an impact there. Except that I show him appreciation. And I do that every day.”

Sought-after BVB star: Bayern and Liverpool keen on Schlotterbeck

Recently, Bild reported that both FC Bayern and international top clubs like FC Liverpool have shown interest. For BVB, the two encounters against Leverkusen come at a decisive moment. The opponent has “recovered after a difficult start to the season and has a lot of quality,” Kovac noted. The matches within just under 75 hours could be decisive for the rest of the season – both in the Bundesliga and in the DFB-Pokal.

In the league, however, BVB has recently stumbled a bit. Late squandered leads against HSV and VfB Stuttgart have meant that Dortmund has gone three Bundesliga matches without a win. Still, Kovac sees positive development: “We’re doing quite well at the moment. Success comes with performance.” What will happen with Schlotterbeck remains open. Kovac himself stated: “Let’s wait and see.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.